"Who are we talking about here?"
"I really can't say yet, and I'm sorry. I signed a contract too. But there are a lot of people who want to be your friend. People besides Ron and Hermione. You might not be aware of it, but you kind of cocoon yourself with those two, and it's hard to get close to you."
He frowned and looked at his locker. That much was definitely true. He was only now starting to realize how few close friends he had in the wizarding world. He was friendly with other people, but at the moment he could only trust Hermione with anything serious.
She watched him as he thought over her words. "I promise I'm not trying to trick you. And if you sign that parchment, you wouldn't have to participate in the club. But you'd know about its existence and I could explain better."
He cautiously picked up the document and examined it. Just as she said, there was some sort of oath on it. He examined the wording. If he signed, he was committing himself to keeping a secret. He could tell no outsiders about the existence of a secret society called 'The Lion's Pride,' nor could he tell them about anything or anyone that he might see there.
"So it's only among people who aren't members that I can't talk about whatever this is?"
"That's right. Anything goes among members. You won't be bound by any oaths, or have to do anything against your will."
"This is not a society of pureblood bigots or something?"
She gave him an affronted look. "Harry, I'm not even a pureblood. I love being part of this, and I think you will too. It might take some time for you to, er, get used to things, but everyone thinks you'd be a good fit if you're willing to keep an open mind."
He studied the earnest expression on her face. "Fine. I trust you, Katie."
He grabbed the quill and signed his name with a flourish, flinching as it caused a stab of pain on the back of his hand. The scroll glowed for a brief moment, then rolled up and sealed itself. Katie pocketed it.
She smiled. "Thank you. That will make things so much easier."
He raised a curious eyebrow when she didn't continue.
She cleared her throat, and he was surprised to see a blush forming on her face. Katie didn't have Angelina's forceful personality, but he had never seen her suffer from a lack of confidence on the pitch.
"The club—" she began haltingly, but paused to consider her words. "Well, it's a group of people who are interested in exploring, er, aspects of themselves. It's a safe environment, with no judgment and no consequences. You don't have to do anything you don't want to, or with anyone you don't want to. It's just a way for friends to explore and have fun without anyone's reputation getting harmed. That's why we sign the oaths."
Harry was still mystified. "What on earth are we talking about?"
"You don't even have a guess?"
"No."
"No scandalous rumors you might have heard, or jokes about certain kinds of clubs?"
"Sorry, but no. The only club I know about is the gobstones club. I'm pretty sure we're not talking about that."
She laughed, and it seemed to settle her nerves. "No, no one plays gobstones. It's good that you have no idea, I guess. It's supposed to be that way. I just wondered, because—well, you know not much stays secret in this castle for long. Even with oaths, people let things slip and there are always rumors floating around."
"Well, I have no idea what you're talking about. What kind of club is this?"
She looked him straight in the eye. "It's a sex club."
"Sex club?" he repeated in astonishment. "Is this some kind of prank?"
"It's not. Now, don't freak out, okay? Just listen. You have friends there. The entire quidditch team is a part of it, even McLaggen. I know he's a wanker sometimes, but he behaves himself there. Everybody does. There's a few others from your year as well. We didn't invite you at the beginning of the year because we thought you weren't ready for it. But things have changed and well…" She gestured around the locker room, as if it could explain what she meant.
Harry fought a losing battle against a blush of his own. She seemed to be serious, but he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "So…at this sex club…"
"It's exactly like it sounds," she said with a little grin. "There's a secret room above and behind the common room. Only members can enter it. You can have as much or as little privacy as you want. Everything is casual, and pretty much anything goes. But you're not allowed to be mean or cause scenes. If you have issues with someone, you leave it at the door or you lose your privileges."
Suddenly something clicked for him. "So that's where you go."
"What?"
"After every quidditch match, the rest of the team disappears before the party ends. You, er, celebrate elsewhere, don't you?"
She smiled brightly. "Yes. The real celebration happens in our little club, and continues late into the night."
He shook his head, still astonished. If the Weasley twins had given him this talk, he wouldn't have believed a word of it. "And everyone just…"
"As much as they want, with whoever they want," she said almost proudly, her earlier discomfiture gone. "Everything is consensual, of course. It's not really for committed couples though. Well, I mean, couples form sometimes, and not everyone sleeps around, but we try to invite people who are single, open-minded, and just want to have some fun with their friends. No strings attached."
"Merlin," Harry breathed.
"Is it really that much of a shock? We're in a boarding school. The Professors aren't around that much, and well…you know how it is. Our magic is developing and it makes our hormones go out of control. I know you've felt those urges, right?"
Harry looked away but nodded. He knew exactly what she was talking about. His libido had exploded after he turned 13, just before second year. He had begun waking up with a mess in his shorts every morning, even if he relieved himself before he went to sleep. He hadn't realized it had anything to do with his growing magic.